08 Sep 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: A Prayer for later years, able to accept favours with graciousness, becoming too talkative, bounden duty, chaos, compassionate heart., curse, driving our society into barren ground, endure boredom with patience, expressing an opinion on every subject, For God hath not given us a spirit of fear, he that hath no rule over his own spirit, he that is slow to anger is better than the mighty, he that ruleth his spirit, he that taketh a city, helpful but not pushy, I might be mistaken, if you can't handle the heat stay out of the kitchen, independent, Internet, keep my lips sealed, lack of manners, like a city that is broken down without walls, LOVE, make me thoughtful, negative word, of power love and a sound mind, restrain our baser desires, self-control, social media, teach me the glorious lesson, the freedom to open our yaps, the wisdom to keep my mouth shut, the word that falls on barren ground, Thursday Blessings, upheaval
Proverbs 25:28. He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.
Awright my Scrip-Bit friends and families, we down to the penultimate day of the work week… But wait, is it really Thursday already? Brother, these days passing too quickly for me yes…and I don’t think I’m bearing sufficient fruit in them nuh. It’s also the 8th of September too! The month and week just began, and they are already speeding away from us. But I guess that’s just life, how the Lord designed His universe to function, and those of us who don’t keep up with nature’s momentum, are just going to be like the word that falls on barren ground…left in the dust…fruitless. (smile)
Anyway, yesterday I did bear one good fruit, that of cleaning up a stack of papers I had sitting below my computer for ages. You know when you are a writer, or claim to be one, you always have li’l bits of paper with notes and such scribbled on them. Well, I’ve been meaning to go through that stack for a while now, but could never get around to it. Don’t go clapping yet, I have another stack on the other side to go through too. (smile) And when I finally got around to it yesterday, lo and behold I discovered this gem of a prayer that I haven’t seen for years.
That’s one of the benefits of going through old papers; you often find marvellous stuff in them. Now I must have shared this prayer before, because it’s too nice and too appropriate a prayer for me not to have shared, and I guess that’s why it’s been amongst those bits of papers, waiting to be shared again. (smile) It was apparently published in 2015 in a post named ‘Mary’s Musings – Life and times of a small town Nana.’ And is it ever appropriately titled – ‘A Prayer for Later Years.’
So please pray with me: ‘Lord, thou knowest that I am growing older. Keep me from becoming too talkative, and particularly keep me from falling into the tiresome habit of expressing an opinion on every subject. Release me from the craving to straighten out everybody’s affairs. Keep my mind free from the recital of endless details. Give me wings too to get to the point. Give me the grace, dear Lord, to listen to others describe their aches and pains. Help me to endure the boredom with patience and keep my lips sealed, for my own aches and pains are increasing in number and intensity, and the pleasure of discussing them is becoming sweeter as the years go by.
Teach me the glorious lesson that, occasionally, I might be mistaken. Keep me reasonably sweet. I do not wish to be a saint (saints are so hard to live with), but a sour old person is the work of the devil. Make me thoughtful, but not moody; helpful, but not pushy; independent; yet able to accept with graciousness favours that others wish to bestow on me. Free me of the notion that simply because I have lived a long time, I am wiser than those who have not lived so long –(although it’s often true- my addition).
If I do not approve of some of the changes that have taken place in recent years, give me the wisdom to keep my mouth shut. Lord knows that when the end comes, I would like to have a friend or two left. The author is unknown but I wish I had written it. I think it is appropriate for those of us of a “certain age.”
And is it ever my brethren! Yuh know the older you get, the more you believe you have the freedom and the right to do and say as you please. (smile) You believe you have earned that liberty simply by living a long time and seeing many changes. But even when we’re old, we still need to somewhat curtail our mouths and tongues, and not give free reign to every thought that comes into our often forgetful minds.
But yuh know what, that prayer isn’t only appropriate for old folks, but also for young ones…possibly even more so, as the young uns nowadays just like to talk and carry on about stuff they know nothing about. In our days it was, don’t speak until you’re spoken to, and then with as few words as possible. But today, with the lack of manners taught to this generation by we the parents – yes some of the blame must fall on our shoulders – and with the introduction of the internet and social media, the freedom to open our yaps, and anonymously too, is driving our society into the barren ground of chaos and upheaval.
And what does it all mean eh? I guess that in today’s busy and crazy world, the fruit of the Spirit termed self-control is sadly lacking. And what is self-control? One writer describes it thus: ‘Self-control (“temperance” in the KJV) is, of course, the ability to control oneself. It involves moderation, constraint, and the ability to say “no” to our baser desires and fleshly lusts.’ And is our fleshly lusts and baser instincts ever getting away with the proverbial act of murder nowadays!
Why is that eh? Because too many believers are still dallying with stuff that drives them to sin. And yes, self-control ought to help us avoid them, but oftentimes, the only way to overcome some of those bad habits is to stay completely away from the things that cause them. And there are several scriptures that talk about self-control, like this famous one from Bruh Paul to Timothy. ‘For the Lord hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound (disciplined) mind.’ (2 Tim. 1:7)
That means we have the Spirit of self-control. But why put ourselves unnecessarily in places where we have to use it to a great extent, when we can simply avoid some of those places eh? Cousin Sol also had a lot to say on the subject. Check out these two verses. ‘He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.’ (Prov. 16:32) And the other verse says: ‘He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.’ (Prov. 25:28).
Yuh see friends, how important self-control is! If you don’t have it, you’re like a defenseless city, open to the invasion of sin. But when you have it…oh…you’re better than the strong man and the conqueror of cities! Wow! And unfortunately, self-control is one of our world’s biggest problems, driving all sorts of strife, evil and ungodly doings. But thankfully, our great and wonderful God has given us tools to handle any situation we encounter, including what we call our Thursday Blessings. So please, declare them with me now, so that we can activate them and get ourselves straightened out.
As one strong and confident voice. ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
Oh my fellow saints, with all those tools in our toolbox, there’s nothing that we can’t handle, especially with God’s added help. So please let’s get out into the world and do our best to spread His gospel nuh, bring good news and glad tidings to the downtrodden and oppressed, so that they too can join His merry band of followers. That’s our bounden duty! Much LOVE!
…if you can’t handle the heat…then stay out of the kitchen…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
08 Aug 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: accoding to their deeds God will repay, adversaries, another week of work, baptizing, brought to Jesus, christianity, communication revolution, contemplative sigh, corrupt ways, corruption, diligently spread God's Word, enemies, enthusiasm, eternal life, even to the end of the world, ever-LOVING God, evil, fear, fear the name of the Lord, fellowship, Friday chant, from the rising of the sun, further God's glorious kingdom, generations, generous help, Glory be, God's children, God's Word, Hallelujah, Holy Ghost, holy spirit, I am with you always, I will make thy name to be remembered, in the name of the Father, incense, Internet, Jesus Christ, lethargy, looking up to heaven, lord of hosts, lost souls, LOVE, loving kindness, loving nature, magnificent, Malachi, mercies, my name shall be great among the heathen, observe all things I have commanded you, omni-present, omnipotent, omniscient, pandemic, praise, praise God, Psalm 45, purpose, recompense, relaxation, renewed and refeshed, rest, salvation, Scrip-Bit, servants of the lord, sincerely live our faith, suffering, teach all nations, Thank God is Friday, thanks, the Great Commission, the Lord's anger, the Lord's decree, the people shall praise thee for ever, the rising of the sun, the SON, the Sprit of the Lord, tired eyes, truly love our God, ungodly world, wisdom, worship
Psalm 45:17. I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations: therefore shall the people praise thee for ever and ever.
Well Friends, at last it’s that fateful day – Friday!
And surprisingly, instead of the usual raucous and joyful shouts, I hear a tired, contemplative sigh and a less than enthusiastic ‘Thank God is Friday yes… Don’t think I could have handled one more day nuh…Thank God is Friday oui…’ tired eyes looking up to heaven.
Yeh mih people, it’s been a short work week for many of us, but the tiredness from the recent Caribana celebrations lingers on. Hopefully then, this weekend we’ll take our Friday Chant a little more seriously than usual.
Let’s chant: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes Friends, some of you will definitely understand this weekend, the need for rest, relaxation and fellowship! (smile)
And our Bit for today comes from the last verse of Psalm 45, a psalm dedicated to and celebrating the king’s marriage, where a powerful affirmation is made. ‘I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations: therefore shall the people praise thee for ever and ever.’
Oh my people, I surely hope that we ALL know that that’s the major purpose of all God’s children on planet earth – to make His mighty and glorious name known to all and sundry, throughout each generation, and thus have the people praise and glorify Him right through eternity?
That’s the ‘Great Commission’ Jesus gave to the disciples, and consequently us, before He departed this earth. ‘Go ye therefore, and teach ALL nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Teaching them to observe ALL things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.’ (Matt.28:19-20)
And it does us a whole lot of good to remember that every so often, so that we don’t fall into a perpetual state of lethargy and/or fear, and diligently talk to others about our omnipotent, omniscient, omni-present, magnificent and ever-LOVING God!
Now let’s check out a few passages of scripture which corroborate our Bit. Listen first to the prophet Malachi, as the Lord rebukes the priests through him.
‘For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen (Gentile nations), saith the Lord of hosts.’ (Mal.1:11)
Yes Friends, the Lord has decreed that His name, and holy, LOVING nature will be known throughout His universe! And you know that whatever He decrees, it ALWAYS comes to pass, in His time.
And right now we’re witnessing, thankfully experiencing a communication revolution like the world has never seen before, which makes it so much easier to spread God’s Word all over the entire world. And this Scrip-Bit message over the Internet is a perfect example of that.
And all God’s children gave out a joyful shout of ‘Glory be!’
Yes my brethren, God’s name and glory need to go to the ends of the earth, so that He can be magnified and the numerous lost souls out there brought to Jesus, so that they can receive the most wonderful gifts of salvation and eternal life!
Now hear the prophet Isaiah, as he warns Israel on national corruption and the consequent suffering thereof… Oh my, my! Isaiah must have been here checking out our time too, because corruption is so rampant all over the globe that it’s become pandemic.
Anyway, here is what Isaiah promises: ‘According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompense to his enemies; to the islands (coastlands) he will (fully) repay recompense.
So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard (banner) against him.’ (Is.59:18-19)
Oh Friends, I wouldn’t want to experience the Lord’s true anger nuh. But if we persist in our evil, ungodly, corrupt ways, at some stage of the game, we will certainly feel it.
And we’ll end with these wonderful verses from Psalm 113, which deals with the many mercies of our most wonderful God. ‘Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah), Praise, O ye servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord. Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and for evermore.
From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord’s name is to be praised. The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens. Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high, who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth!’ (Ps.113:1-6)
And the correct answer to that my brethren is NOBODY!
So today, my fellow believers, let’s remember the greatness, the faithfulness, and the LOVING nature of our God and go forth in appropriate praise, thanks, and worship, so that we can bring everlasting glory to His name, as He desires, for that’s our bounden duty. Much LOVE!
…the three do’s of Christianity…truly LOVE our God…sincerely LIVE our Faith…and diligently SPREAD God’s word…
30 Jan 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abiding nature, almighty god, antichrists, assurance, belief in spirits, body and soul, born of God, Britain, British accent, chat, Christ indwells believers, Christians, crazy world, cunning, Curry Shop, deceitful, dwell in you, evil rogue, evil spirit, false prophets, goat, God in favour, God's Spirit, good service, greater is he that's in you, halt, he that is in the world, holy spirit, ink, Internet, love of Christ, Lucifer, madness, memories, memory bank, misled, my constituional, on behalf of Christ, out of sync, outward affiliation, overcome, overcome the enemy, paper, Paradise, pawpaw, peace of god, pen, pen-pal, Pigeon Point, potato, residual effect, roti, rough draft, rule in our hearts and minds, Satan, smile, social media, staunch believer in Jesus, steal, Store Bay, strength, stupidity, test, the place of Christ's Spirit, time passes quickly, Tobago, truth, try, trying spirits, ungodly hour, usurp, vacation, victory, villain, wary, wept sorely, whom the Lord knows, wisdom, work diligently, writing
1 John 4:4. Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
And sadly my people, it’s Thursday. Steups! That means I only have one more week of this wonderful vacation left. Chuh! I can’t believe that two weeks in Paradise have already gone by. But it seems that even in Paradise, time passes quickly. (smile)
So what good memories did we make yesterday eh? Not many really nuh. I had my constitutional at Store Bay… and even that wasn’t so hot, because the water was a little choppy and I wasn’t feeling up to scratch. On the way home, we stopped for a brief chat with the Duchess’ old pen-pal at her business place.
But I wonder if the young people even know what a pen-pal is or was eh? Those were the long ago days of pen, paper, ink and writing, before the internet and all the other social media nonsense.
Oh, I just remembered that before going to Store Bay, we passed through Pigeon Point, another popular beach close to Store Bay, but I’ve been biased against Pigeon Point from my youth (smile) and it seems that nothing has changed in that respect.
For though the physical surroundings are better planned and more colourful and interesting than Store Bay, the beach itself still does nothing for me. And anyway, the Duchess would never be comfortable bathing there. End of Pigeon Point Story! (smile)
After leaving Rosalind, we came home and crashed, because we were both tired. We read and ate. I had my first roti in Tobago, which unfortunately had more potato than goat. That caused me to remark. ‘If I’d wanted so much potato, I would have both a potato roti yes!’
But that was really small potatoes (smile) in the grand scheme of things. And it helped support a British sister, who runs the Curry Shop on the road to Pigeon Point. When I first heard her British accent I was amazed at the connection between a ‘Britisher’ and curry, although curry is popular in Britain.
Anyway, I asked how she’d gotten from Britain to Tobago? She claimed that she wanted a change, and I believe that Tobago is all the better for it, because she seems to be providing a good service.
Anyhow, around 8 p.m. my body and soul being out of sync, I decided to rest for a spell. Hn! That spell lasted till after midnight, that’s why I’m writing a rough draft of the Bit at minutes after three in the morning. Don’t think I’ve been up at this ungodly hour since I got here.
And that’s basically what I saved in my memory bank yesterday. I have to chuckle here, because I just got up and reached for a piece of pawpaw, only to find the dish empty. Like I’d eaten it all with realizing it.
And we have a very interesting and helpful Bit today. As if they’re not all interesting and helpful eh? (smile) Listen up. This is John talking about trying spirits. ‘Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.’
And that Friends, is the undeniable, indisputable, recognizable, gospel truth! And if you don’t believe it, then your life will always be a mess! That’s because you’re allowing the evil rogue, Lucifer, who is in the world, to be stronger than the Holy Spirit of Almighty God that’s supposed to dwell in you.
And that makes no sense whatsoever my people. For why would a staunch believer in Jesus Christ, knowingly allow that cunning, deceitful villain Lucifer, to steal, to usurp the place of Christ’s Spirit in his soul and life eh? That’s total madness and undeniable stupidity!
Now hear what the scholars have to say about our Bit. ‘4:4. Christ indwells believers. Satan is likewise the lord of his own followers. But Christ is greater than he who wreaks havoc in the world. Have overcome is in the perfect tense, stressing the abiding nature of their victory. Their strength lies in the fact that they are (born) of God.’
Yes my brethren, unless we are spiritually born of God, we lack the strength to overcome the enemy. And how does John arrive at this position? Because at the beginning of the chapter he tells us: ‘Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try (test) the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.’ (1 John 4:1)
And that’s no lie my people! There are even more false prophets today than in John’s time. He would certainly have held his head and wept sorely, if he saw what was happening in today’s false and crazy world.
Now listen carefully to the scholars’ note. ‘4:1. The Spirit gives assurance (3:24). But how do believers know it is God’s Spirit, and not a lying one, who is assuring them? John acknowledges the presence of numerous spirits. Christians must be wary that they be not misled. The Greek grammar here may indicate that John is calling for a halt to belief in spirits that was already in progress. This could have been a residual effect of those who had already left (2:19).’
And to complete the understanding of the scholars note, here is what 2:19 says. John’s here talking about the dangers of the antichrists. ‘They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all (none of them were) of us.’ (1 John 2:19)
And the scholars further explain: ‘2:19. Some in the church, but now departed, were never really part of it. Here is a clear distinction between those who merely appear to be Christians, based on outward affiliation, and those who really are, whom the Lord knows and claims as His own.(1 Cor.8:3; Gal.4:9; 2 Tim.2:19).’
Oh my fellow believers, please take a moment and read those scriptures, for they will enhance your understanding of the Word. And we’ll end there, for you have enough on your plate to ponder and rectify today.
So till we meet again tomorrow, God in favour, please let the peace of God rule in our hearts and minds, and let’s work diligently on behalf of Christ. Now that’s wisdom at its highest level! Much LOVE!
…where the LOVE of Christ rules…no evil spirit can ever enter there…
29 Nov 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Abraham, anger, anguish, anxious, Black Friday, blessed be the Lord, body soul and mind, buying stuff, cast off, comes to his senses, concerned, confession, confident, contemplation, convinced, credit, credit cards, debts, deeper in the hole, deleted expletives, didn't waiver, dog trying to catch its tail, economic downfall, fellowship, followers of Jesus christ, food banks, foreign countries, friends, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generous help, global village, glory to God, God will never leave nor forsake us, going round in circles, good works, gospel truth, gracious, greedy, hallmarks of Jesus, He is faithful that promised, hold fast, hope, individual situations, inferior quality goods, infrimity, interest rates, Internet, Israel, Jesus Christ, keep keeping on, less jobs, less pay, live our faith, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, Love our God, meditate, mercy, minimum wage, money, Moses, no reason to doubt, not afraid, not failed one word, outsourced, peace, powerful, refreshed, relaxation, renewed, rest, rich, Selah, shopping, spread His Word, strong faith, taken root in Canada, talk, tender mercies, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, thanksgiving, the Lord's promised, the wherewithal to pull through, U.S., up to our necks, wonders of old, works of the Lord
1 Kings 8:56. Blessed be the Lord, that hath given rest (peace) unto his people Israel, according to all that he hath promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant.
Ah Friends, it’s Friday once again… Unfortunately though, not a regular Friday, where the majority of workers are crying out ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ but what has now come to be known as Black Friday, the biggest shopping day in the U.S. Steups!
Unfortunately too, it’s now spread to and taken root in Canada, where the merchants are trying to retaliate by also having sales on the Friday after the U.S. Thanksgiving Holiday, that hopefully will keep shoppers up here. But I think they’re fighting a losing battle, for even if the bargains down south aren’t much better, the idea of going to shop in the U.S. has taken hold of too many Canadian minds.
The nonsense has even morphed on to the Internet. I had to utter a few deleted expletives when I turned on my computer this morning and saw a whole slew of messages touting Black Friday sales. Chuh!
Ah Friends, when is the nonsense ever going to end eh? It’s fast becoming all about money and buying stuff, a lot of which we don’t need and even more importantly cannot afford. For sadly there are even less people working these days, and many of them for less pay than before.
So where are they expected to get funds to buy all the stuff that’s been forced upon them eh? I guess that CREDIT is the next word. But we’re already up to our necks in debts and credit, and it’s those two that caused the last economic downfall.
And tell me how and when are we going to pay it off, if all the good jobs are being outsourced to foreign countries, and the few, part-time jobs available in the service sector are paying a measly minimum wage that can’t even support a single adult, much less a family.
Oh Friends, we’re going round in circles, like the proverbial dog trying to catch its tail. We work several low paying jobs, but still can’t meet our expenses, so we end up at the food banks, and run up the credit card debts, bearing enormous interest, which puts us even deeper in the hole.
Meanwhile, prices for everything, including inferior quality outsourced goods, are rising all the time. No wonder our economy is in such a mess, and the powers that be, the supposedly smart ones can’t seem to fix it, or simply refuse to at the behest of the greedy rich and powerful. And then they sit back and wonder why people are up in arms all over this worldly global village. Ah Lord eh!
Please be careful my Friends, for there’s a small group that’s trying to dominate the world, having begun by trying to get God out of our lives, and sadly, they are succeeding bit by bit. However, as followers of Jesus Christ, we need to be concerned, but not be afraid and/or overly anxious about our individual situations, for the Lord has promised to look after all His people, regardless of colour, class, creed or race.
Oh Friends, please take note of the true and powerful words of our Bit, uttered by Cousin Sol when he dedicated the Lord’s temple. ‘Blessed be the Lord, that hath given rest (peace) unto his people Israel, according to all that he hath promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant.’
And the most important thing for us to remember there, is that even up to this day, many thousands of years later, ‘there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant.’
Gospel truth mih breddren, gospel truth!
So although the psalmist Asaph cried out in anguish: ‘Will the Lord cast off for ever? And will he be favourable no more? Is his mercy clean gone for ever (ceased completely)? Doth his promise fail for evermore? Hath God forgotten to be gracious? hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? Selah.’ (Ps.77:7-9)
Obviously not! And after some contemplation, Asaph comes to his senses in the next verse. ‘And I said, this my infirmity (anguish): but I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High. I will remember the works of the Lord: surely I will remember thy wonders of old. I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings.’ (Ps.77:10-12)
Yes my people, our great and wonderful God will never leave nor forsake us, as he’s promised! (Deut.4:31, Heb.13:5) So though life and times seem to be somewhat rough and troubled, we also need to remember the times when the Lord stood solidly in our corner and the things He’s brought us through. There’s no reason to doubt Him now.
True believers ought to have a strong faith in their Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. For as Bruh Paul reminds us of Abraham: ‘He staggered not (didn’t waver) at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong (strengthened) in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded (convinced) that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.’ (Rom.4:20-21)
Likewise Friends, we should also be fully convinced that the Lord can do whatever He’s promised. And when we stand strong in faith, we will be able to do what needs to be done to keep on keeping on.
So as the author of Hebrews exhorts us: ‘Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke (stir up) unto LOVE and to good works.’ (Heb.10:23-24)
And since we all know that LOVE and good works are the hallmarks of Jesus, please my people, let’s stand strong and steadfast in the faith, and keep doing those things regardless of what comes against us, for the Lord WILL give us the wherewithal to pull through.
And now in closing, let’s chant our Friday Chant, so we can get the proper perspective on how to use the weekend. Hn! Thought I’d forgotten it nuh? Not a chance!
All together now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Much LOVE my brethren in Christ Jesus!
…it’s time to renew our efforts…to truly LOVE our God…sincerely LIVE our FAITH…and diligently SPREAD His Word…
P.S. It’s a tad long and late (smile) but it’s all worthwhile! Much LOVE!
04 Aug 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Abraham, almighty god, basic amenities, be of good cheer, Big Brother, Caribana, Christians, common denominator, controversial laws, cowed, economic downturn, faith, fear, frantic, fraudulent activities, freedom, Good Book, graven images, hackers, home invasions, idols, Internet, intimidation, Jesus Christ, loss of jobs, loss of life, magnanimous god, negative incidents, omnipotence, panicking, physcial attacks, positive faith, powerful energizer, privacy, privileges, righteousness., safety measures, Sunday morning, technological innovations, terrorism, the Holy Spirit, tribulation, true believers, wisdom, you of little faith
Matthew 8:26. And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was great calm.
Oh Friends, is Sunday morning, and all the hoopla about the Caribana Parade finish now! Thank the Lord! I don’t think any serious negative incidents occurred, for the duchess didn’t mention any. She just said that the bands didn’t start coming down the boulevard until around 4 p.m.
Now it’s been bad over the years, in terms of the bands heading out on the parade route, but I’ve never seen or heard it that bad. And it’s somewhat amusing now, because when the old Caribana group, which consisted mainly of immigrant West Indians, ran the show, the lateness of all the events was blamed on their West Indian mentality for not respecting time in a professional manner.
But it’s an entirely new set up now, with new and supposedly more time conscious people. So who or what is to blame for such a late start eh? (smile) Anyway, I won’t get into it, because I really don’t know what’s happening, and Caribana and all that it entails is just too confusing and controversial for my small mind to handle.
So this Sunday morning I’ll just stick with my Bit, which I do know a little about. (smile) ‘And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was great calm.’
Oh my brethren, fear is so rampant in all walks of life in our evil and godless society, that it’s not funny. Whether it’s fear of terrorism, the downturn of the economy, losing one’s job, one’s home, of physical attacks out on the streets in broad daylight, and even home invasions now, attacks right in your castle, fear is one of the common denominators of modern-day life.
But technically speaking, so much fear should not exist, because our society has achieved such a high level of technological innovation, with so much surveillance and supposed safety measures. But sadly, those same technological advances are cowing us for Big Brother is using them to scare us and enact controversial laws that deprive us of our privacy and other freedoms.
However Friends, true believers don’t need to be that worried. Yes, physical stuff happens to us, our privacy and privileges can be curtailed, or even taken away, but with Jesus Christ as our mind and body guard, we can still stand strong regardless of what comes against us. That’s because we can do ALL things through Christ, who strengthens us. (Phil.4:13)
Unfortunately though, that takes a fairly high level of faith, which seems to be sadly lacking in many Christians, for far too many of us are getting frantic and panicking as the world situation deteriorates. Now we do have to be concerned, but we don’t have to turn ourselves and our situations upside down.
Remember yesterday we quoted these words of Jesus: ‘In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33b). Well Friends, that is a staple bit of scripture that we all should learn, believe and hold tightly to, otherwise all the negative happenings in the world today will just confuse, confuffle and eventually drive us crazy. It will only raise fear in our souls, rather than the powerful energizer, faith.
Remember we also said yesterday that the level of our faith will determine the level of our fear, and asked us to read Hebrews chapter 11, the chapter dedicated to faith and its rewards. I hope we all did, because it’s for our individual benefit and no one else’s. And if we did read it, we saw the numerous people who operated on faith in Almighty God, even though their individual circumstances cried out for fear.
Look at Abraham nuh. Imagine in his seventies, rich as ever, not wanting for anything material, the Lord told him to pack up and move away from his family. And though he didn’t know where the Lord was sending him, he obeyed God, and that was credited to Abraham for righteousness.
Today Friends, we have many more options and stuff than any of those people mentioned in the Good Book had, but our faith seems to be at a much lower level. Why? I really don’t know. Maybe life’s just become too easy and we take too many things for granted, like heat, light and water. And since we’re not accustomed to doing without the basic amenities, when something happens to any of them, we get all jittery and fearful.
And a good example of that loss of basic functions is when the Internet goes down. Wow! Our whole world stops and everybody gets jittery. That’s because too much of our lives now depend on computers and all the communication devices that are currently in use. Five or ten years ago, many fewer people would have been affected by such a breakdown, but unfortunately every day we’re becoming more and more linked to, and thus more affected by the technological revolution.
In many respects it’s a good thing, but there are also some serious drawbacks, as it’s also prone to criminal and fraudulent activities. And remember that anything a man builds, another man can break into or destroy. Man-made safe guards don’t always do the trick. Just look at all the successful hacker activities that are now taking place.
Oh my people, we have to use all this new-fangled stuff as mere tools, and stop allowing them to run and control our lives. In other words, stop bowing down to them, because we are certainly using them as idols, and they are taking away from our time with God.
Now do you think He appreciates that? No Way! Remember His first commandment is that we should have no other Gods before Him, and we should not bow to any graven images or idols.
Unfortunately though, in this crazy, confused world, there are all sorts of idols to worship, and unless we have a strong relationship with Jehovah God, His Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, we will easily get scared and afraid of stuff that’s not supposed to intimidate us.
Oh Friends, I implore us this Sunday morning to keep looking to our wonderful, omnipotent and magnanimous God for strength and courage to face the vicissitudes of this life. That’s because only in Him, His Word and His Son Jesus Christ can true strength be found through positive faith.
And that’s wisdom of the eternal kind! Much LOVE!
…courage doesn’t mean the absence of fear…but more the abundance of faith…
17 Oct 2012
by randyobrien50
in Inspirational Living
Tags: be careful what you ask for, cyber bullying, Internet, law of averages, Patience of Job, rough times, stay strong and faithful, Strength of Samson, tests for promotion, thanks and praise, understanding, ups and downs, wisdom, Wisdom of Solomon
Proverbs 4:7. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.
Oh Friends, as always, we like to open with some thanks and praise to our Most Gracious God for causing us to see another beautiful day on planet earth. We all know that life in general isn’t easy, there are, and will always be plenty of ups and downs, but hopefully, when we stand faithfully with God, the ups will be more plentiful than the downs. It’s just the simple law of averages, a basic fact of life which states that the more times you go up to bat, the greater your chances are of hitting a home run. So please, let’s not falter and/or get weary when the rough times assault us, when they just seem to keep coming one after the other. Remember that they are often tests from our wise and wonderful God to see if we are ready for promotion. And if we handle them with strength and confidence in His faithfulness, then our faith will definitely increase and most likely the Lord will bless us with some kind of promotion. So please, let’s stay strong and faithful, regardless of whatever comes against us. Now in the last few days we’ve been talking about the evil stuff that’s cropping up on the Internet, in particular the cyber bullying, criminal blackmail of the young girl Amanda Todd, who recently committed suicide over it. I hadn’t planned to say anything more about it, but I read about another development from that story that I thought it necessary to share. It seems that one diligent lady discovered the name and workplace of one of those disgusting persons who were writing negative evil stuff about the girl. This woman called the man’s employer in Toronto with the information and he was subsequently fired. The woman claims she didn’t really want him to get fired, but at least shamed and reprimanded. Now she is also receiving some nasty e-mail, although the majority of the responses seem to be positive. Oh Friends, I hope all this stuff is making a difference in what you’re thinking about posting on the Net, for a lot of it, even the seemingly innocuous, harmless stuff can eventually come back to haunt you. And on another point of interest, you also have to be careful what you ask the Lord for, since He’ll seldom just drop it in your lap without any work on your part. And in today’s ‘From off my wall’ section, we have a very good example of that. Tacked very prominently to the wall on the right side of my office is a foolscap page with this information written by my young daughter in big, bold, black and red letters. ‘The Wisdom of Solomon. The Strength of Samson. The Patience of Job.’ Ah mih breddren, some years aback, in my spiritual naivety, I apparently asked the Lord to give me those things. Looking back now, I’m sure He sadly chuckled and said: ‘Poor boy, you really don’t know what you’re asking or setting yourself up for nuh, because it takes a lot of blood, sweat and tears to come by anyone of them, and you’re asking for all three.’ No doubt, some of the stuff I’ve since experienced came about because of that genuine but naive request. I’m not sure I’d ask for all three now, since I know what it takes to achieve any of them, but like the spilt milk, it’s too late to change my mind. But the good thing Friends is that with the Lord’s help, I believe I’ve made some decent headway in at least two of them; the wisdom and patience aspects. At my age, and with all the aches and pains in the old body, it’s doubtful I can acquire the physical strength of Samson, but I certainly am working on acquiring the spiritual strength necessary to walk faithfully with God. Please pray for the old fella, that the Lord doesn’t make it too hard for him. (smile) And I’m chuckling here, because I don’t have a Bit to tie all this together. I’m sure though that the Lord will guide me to something appropriate, as I take a break to look now. So soon come! Aye Friends, I’m back in less than five minutes. It seemed that all of the preceding stuff had wisdom as its theme, so I looked for a Bit on that topic, and came up with this most appropriate one: ‘Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.’ See, the Lord does keep His promise to help us in times of need! And do we ever need wisdom in this evil, foolish, ungodly world that we live in! Yes Friends, if we need to get only one attribute on this earth, wisdom is the one to get, because once we have that, we’ll know how to handle all the other matters of life, for from wisdom flows understanding and everything else. As Cousin Sol further explains: ‘Exalt her (wisdom), and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her. She shall give to (place on) thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver thee.’ (Prov.4:8-9) There is no doubting of wisdom’s ability to do just that my people! Cousin Sol further declares in Proverbs 16: ‘How much better it is to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!’ (Prov.16:16) Yes Friends, wisdom and understanding are of such great importance, more so than the riches of this world. And we’ll end with the answer to the burning question that everyone so desperately desires to know i.e. how does one get that wonderful attribute called wisdom? It’s easy Friends, no rocket science involved at all. Listen to James tell it like it is: ‘If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not (without reproach); and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering (not doubting). For he that wavereth (doubts) is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord. A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.’ (James1:5-8) And that Friends, is how we go about getting wisdom. Please, let’s seriously consider our state of wisdom today, make the necessary changes, and then passionately seek it. Much LOVE!…our souls were made to seek wisdom…but to find wisdom…one must first seek Jehovah God…
16 Oct 2012
by randyobrien50
in Inspirational Living
Tags: autumn landscape, control your tongue, faith, falling standards, God's amazing artistry, hope, Internet, listen, LOVE, responsibility, self-discipline. self-control, thanks to God, winter, winter blahs
Psalm 39:1. I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.
Ah mih people, another day is slowly dawning in our wonderful lives, thanks to our most wonderful God. And all God’s people trilled a grateful, ‘Thank You heavenly Father for showering us with Your LOVE, mercy, and forgiveness! We worship and adore You with all our hearts, bodies and souls. In Jesus’ Name. Amen!’
Yes Friends, it’s only right and wise to give the Lord thanks for all He’s doing for us, even though it doesn’t seem so on the surface. Take for instance, in my area yesterday it was cold and blustery with high winds all day, meaning that leaves were blowing all over the place like crazy, especially in my driveway, which seems to have a whirlwind, current-like disposition, for all the other driveways are clear of leaves, but mine always has a couple piles spread around it. Many of the trees are already devoid of leaves, though the colourful autumn landscape is still highly visible all around, with the beautiful, eye-catching, burnished browns, golds and yellows, highlighting the amazing artistry of our very creative God.
That means the dreaded winter has begun its cold, dark, uncomfortable journey to our area, and many of us began singing the winter blahs from the first chilly day. (smile) But my people, that will only make our lives even more miserable than normal over the next six months, an unnecessary evil, since we are strong, staunch believers in Jesus Christ and have the assurance that He will eventually work everything out for our good.
Now here’s a simple prayer from the Hour of Power Devotional by Robert H. Schuller, to help us overcome the vicissitudes of life. It’s titled FAITH, and strongly proclaims: ‘Lord, I believe in the SUN, even when it is behind the clouds; in the SEED, even when it lies unsprouted under the ground; in FAITH, even when I have been betrayed; in LOVE, even when I have been rejected; in HOPE, even when I have been hurt; in GOD, even when you do not answer my prayers. Amen.’
Now doesn’t that just say everything about our faith in a nutshell my brethren? It sure does!
And finally turning to our Bit: ‘I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep (restrain) my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.’
Oh Friends, that’s the way it’s supposed to be, but sadly it isn’t in this very talkative age. Yesterday we saw that Amanda Todd’s foolish act of putting half-naked pictures of herself on the Internet, eventually caused her sad demise. And unfortunately this can happen to any of us, if we’re not very careful about what we say and/ or post in the social media, since there are tons of evildoers out there just waiting to jump on anything they can use.
Now I said that there were two things bugging me, but before I get to the second, let me throw in here another negative aspect of the Net. A few weeks ago, somewhere in Europe, in the Netherlands, if I remember correctly, a teenaged girl sent out a message re a party in her backwater town. End result; some three thousand hooligans descended on the poor town, causing a huge riot and untold damage.
Nowadays uninvited people showing up at parties and trashing the place has become a constant hazard with such easy social communication, so what’s it going to take for us to smarten up eh, and be careful how we advertise our personal functions? Apparently, the young lady above, forgot to put private or some such foolishness in her message.
Now crashing a party is nothing new, we did it in our time too, but we went to have a good time, and even when we were kicked out, we didn’t feel the need to cause confusion and trash the place. But now, no one seems to have respect for other people’s privacy or belongings, and half the fun appears to come from destroying stuff. What a sad commentary on our society!
And finally, the other bit of nonsense that’s been riding my chest. It’s about a working mother in Alberta, a western province, our oil and beef capital, who apparently went on strike and refused to clean up after her children, twelve year old twins and a ten year old. For a week she drank wine or whatever and had the gall to start a Blog about it, even showing her picture against the despicable looking kitchen in the background. She claims that at the beginning, she told the children she was tired, or some sort of horse manure, then at the end of the week, she told them the real reason.
What foolishness! I would be ashamed to let anybody know that I have three big children in my house, who obviously have all the joys of today’s modern world, and if I don’t pick up behind them, my house was going to be in a terrible mess. In the first place, I blame the mother for not teaching the children responsibility.
Do you think at that age I could have done anything even closely resembling that in my mother’s house, especially when she was killing herself working two jobs to keep me fairly comfortable? No way Jose! But that’s the kind of parenting we seem to be doing nowadays, no wonder the children are lost and irresponsible.
And what irks me even more, is that they’ve made this lousy mother a celebrity, with people complimenting her on what she’s done. She was even flown to New York city to be interviewed by Kathy Couric on the Today Show or some such inane programme.
Chuh! Steups!
Okay Friends, I’ve finally got it off my chest. If you don’t agree with me, too bad, that just shows how badly your standards have fallen too. But, as they say, to each his own.
However, let me make one last appeal; please, please, think seriously before you talk, or put anything out there on the Web, for it’s truly worldwide, and there are many sick, evil, vindictive, criminal types out there just waiting to use your information improperly. I can’t say it any plainer than that. Much LOVE!
…in most aspects of life…those who refuse to listen…are usually taken advantage of by the evil elements, prevalent everywhere…
15 Oct 2012
by randyobrien50
in Inspirational Living
Tags: aura of love, criminal activities, cyber bullying, enthusiasm, families, Internet, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, Monday, negative consequences, praise and thanks, restrain our mouths, sure conquerors, ungodly world, vitality
Psalm 39:1. I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue; I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.
Oh Friends, it’s Monday, that wonderful day! And all God’s people responded with a rousing, ‘Yeah! Thank God it’s Monday, and we get to go out to work!’ Wow! What wonderful believers! (smile) Okay, so I’m a tad on the crazy side, but that’s how our LOVING, Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ wants us to react on a Monday morning, not with the moaning and groaning, the pity party and foul moods we usually exhibit. And foolishly or otherwise, I’ve promised Him that I will eventually get us to be as enthusiastic about Mondays as we are about Fridays. Now I’m sure you all don’t want to see me break my promise to Jesus. So please help the ole fella here nuh, help me by changing the gloomy Monday morning outlook, starting RIGHT NOW, as we sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, with plenty vim and vigour. All together now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together. We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies. But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’ Most excellent my people, most excellent! Jesus was proud of us. Now let’s go out into the evil, ungodly world and win some souls for Him, as He commissioned us to do. (Matt.28:19-20) And what shall we talk about today eh? I don’t have a clue. (smile) Okay Lord, okay, if that’s Your wish, I’ll finally obey. And I’m referring to a couple of things that have been bugging me for the last few days, but I’ve resisted the urge to say anything. However the Lord seems to want me to bring it up. Regular readers will remember that a couple days ago we were dealing with not talking or writing as much as we do in general, but even more so in the social media that’s chocked full of negative consequences. Well after the second day, I read about a couple things that greatly disturbed me about our ever so wonderful Internet, but I pushed it aside. However, it kept coming back through the newspapers and the television, and I guess now’s the time for me to get it off my chest. By the way, if we’re going to talk about talking too much, we can use the same Bit, since it’s still very appropriate. ‘I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue; I will keep (restrain) my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.’ Oh Friends, if what I’m about to say displeases you, then too bad, but it’s at sad times like these we, especially parents, have to take a serious look at our selves and our methods of rearing the children God gave us. Our society has sadly plummeted to rather deplorable and dumb standards, but what else can we expect from our general behaviour? Anyway, it seems that a couple of years ago, a grade 7 female student in British Columbia, Canada’s western coast province, in concert with supposed friends, published a picture of her breasts on Facebook. Steups! Right there the stupidity began! What in heaven’s name are you taking half-naked pictures of yourself and putting them out there for, especially at such a tender age? She must have been around 12 or 13, because she’s fifteen now. But unfortunately, a year later some evil type sent her a note that he wanted her to take more pictures of herself and send them to him, otherwise he was going to spread the old one all over the place. She claims she didn’t know who he was, or how he got hold of her earlier picture. But that’s relatively easy if you know how the systems work. But to make a long story short, he ended up doing exactly what he’d promised; sent the stuff to her friends, school mates etc. etc. That resulted in her being ostracised by all and sundry. Changing schools and cities didn’t make any difference the evil followed her everywhere she went. She was even physically beaten in addition to the jeers and verbal abuse. When she couldn’t take it anymore, she put out a warning to others using flash cards, then apparently committed suicide this week. Oh she’d tried it before, by drinking bleach, but fortunately she was saved. And here’s the headline on the story in Saturday’s Toronto Star newspaper. ‘Death by anti-social media.’ And as is our usual habit, we’re nicely calling that kind of criminal blackmail, cyber bullying, and everybody’s up in arms about it. Steups! When are we going to learn eh people? Everyday we hear about more and more criminal activities being perpetrated through and over the Internet, and it’s difficult to find the culprits, but yet still we go ahead and put stuff out there that has no reason whatsoever to be out there. And the sad part is that even after Amanda Todd’s terrible demise, many people are still gloating and happy and calling her terrible names. Now is that a nice society? I wouldn’t even ask about it being godly, because you don’t have to be godly to be nice or sympathetic. Oh Friends, we’ve run out of time and space, so I’ll leave the rest of my rant for tomorrow. But please, please learn from this disastrous mistake, that the Net is not all that the evil perpetrators and financial benefactors want us to believe it is. It does have it uses, but one of them is certainly not spreading your life history in cyber space for every Tom, Dick and Harry to see and be able to use and abuse. Much LOVE!…anything man-made…can always…and WILL eventually be used for evil…against society in general…or another man in particular…
SCRIP-BITS 